Guard for shoe heels



I April 16, 1935. wm Re. 19,543

GUARD FOR SHOE HEELS Original Filed April 24, 1935 Inventor: Nell. F ll 11961:. BE 4 MM fib'torngS.

Reissued Apr. 16, 1935 Re,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, Original No. 1,955,159, dated April 1'7, 1934, Serial No.,667,633, April 24, 1933. Application for ref issue September 1'7, 1934,Serial No. 744,394

6 Claims. (Cl. 36-72) v I I My invention relates. toguards for shoesand I The spring clip l6, u-shaped as shown in Fig. 4, hasfor its obiect'toprovide a simple and efiihas legs I9, 20 extending convergingly from a cient construction. adapted to slip over the heel bight and having outwardly flared end portions portion of a shoe such as a womans shoe and 2|, 22. As indicated in Figs. 5 and 6, the spring 5.. protectitfrom the'wear which takes place in ridsteel member l6 and the parts l and II- united ing in an automobile, particularly when operat-v thereto will be formedin difierent sizes to adapt ins the automobile as driver. the device to be applied to heels of different sizes .112 is a further object of my invention to proand styles. But one form of device will in prac-' vide sucha construction which is cheap tomanus tice be applicable to the heels of different sized 10. factureneat and attractive in appearance which shoes of the same style and shape. 10,;

canzbe slipped on over the heel easily and which In shaping the members l0 and H, I have will. remain. positioned after being put on. found it desirable to: provide darts 23 and 2,4. in The full objects'and advantages :of'my in'venthe inner edges of pieces l0 and II, and to sew tion will appear in connection with the detailed these darts together with an outwardly-extend- 15, description thereof, and its novelfeatures are ing heavy seam, which causes both a fit of the particularly pointed out inthe claims. device to the heel, stiffens the same and produces In the drawing, which illustrates a form of my an attractive appearance. invention, 1 With very wide, low heels, it maybe desirable Fig, 1 illustrates a womans shoe in position on to provide means to secure the device to the up- ZQ? the foot of the wearer'and having one of myv per edge of a shoe. This is accomplished as 2,0,,

heel guards applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a perspecshown in Fig. 7'by means of a flat hook member tive viewof. the heel guard of Fig. 1' vie-wed." prinwhich is adapted. to slip over the edge of cipally from the front; Fig. 3 is a back view of. the shoe between it and the stocking and prevent a shoe including the; heel guard; Fig." l is a the device from tilting on the foot of the wearer.

2 3 sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 and Figs. Only in very broad low heels will such a holding 5', 6 and '7 aresectional views of forms of the indevice be desirable, as. in all smaller sizes of vention adapted for use on heels of different sizes. heels, and, indeed, with the large flat heels, the

Reference being had to the drawing, it will. be spring grip of themember it over the cloth comunderstood that my improved device includes a posing the pieces Ill and II will be sufiicient'in body member or guard proper of fabric or other itselfto hold the guard device positioned under.

suitable flexible material shaped to envelope the all conditions of use. In some forms of the derear portion of a shoe; particularly the heel and vice a loop 26 is attached to the upper edge adjacent portions of the quarter atthe back and thereof at the end of seam l2 by which the device at either side of the shoe forwardly to the shank may be hung or handled in application and with- 3- at the front of the arch. The body member comdrawal.

prises side pieces I0 and II shaped as shown in The guard will in practice be used in connecthe drawing and united at the back at I2 with a tion with riding in or driving an automobile, or heavy outwardly-turned ribbed seamcurved as elsewhere, as at-football games and the like, indicated at I3, H' to conform with the contour where there is a liability of rubbing and defacing of: the heel and quarter at the back of the shoe. the outer surface of the heel portions of shoes, at) The members It, It are extended forwardly as particularly of women's shoes. In applying the indicated at IS in Fig. l, the lower edges of said device it is only necessary to present the flared membersbeing straight, the upper and generally portions 2|, 22 of spring member lfito-the back oblique edges thereof being reversely curved. of the heel and push it forward until the device is- 5 These latter edges curve concavely downward seated firmly against the heel with the seam M 4 5,

and: forward .frofn. the back of the guard and extending along the center of the quarterand convexly upward and rearward from the front heel at the back of the shoe. Thus applied to a thereof so that they will conform closely with the shoe, the device will remain snugly fitted in place, contour of a shoe at the sides of the quarter. At the bight of the clip I6 embracing and gripping the bottom of the combined members I0, II is the lower portion of the heel and positioning the 50 positioned a U-shaped clip it formed from flat legs I9, 20 of the clip underneath the shank of spring steel, said clipbeing secured to the lower the shoe. The flared extremities 2|, 22 of said margin of the guard by a strip of material ll legs [9, 20 terminate back of and within the latsewed to the body members W, l I on either side eral limits of the ball of the shoe. In the event of the U-clip as indicated at I8 in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. that the hook member 25 is used, that may be in- 55 serted over the back of the shoe first and then the device pushed into position. In all cases when it is pushed into position the spring member 16 will spread about the heel, contracting beyond its inner limit and, in itself, holding the device smoothly in place wth a firm non-slipping grip.

It will be noted that the reversely curved upper edges of the guard at either side thereof snugly conform with the contour of the shoe and hug the sides of the quarter when the spring member I6 is in place upon the heel and it will be further noted that said spring member, which alone holds the guard in place, isprotected against being accidentally scuffed off from the heel by reason of the fact that it lies entirely within the outline of the shoe, the flared portions 2|, 22 in such disposition of said member I6 being directly behind the ball of the shoe and thus effectlvely guarded against being struck by' objects such as pedals, levers and the like in a manner which might tend to dislodge the guard.

I claim:

l. A guard for shoe heels comprising two pieces of fabric material secured together along their back meeting edge with an outturned seam, and provided with darts along their inner edges formed with outturned seams, adapted to envelop the heel part of a shoe, and a spring steel ,U-piece at the bottom of said material and secured thereto and adapted to embrace the bottom of the heel and hold the guard in position.

2. A guard for shoe heels comprising fabric material shaped and secured together to envelope the heel part of a low shoe from the bottom of the heel to the top of the back of the shoe, a spring steel U-piece secured in said fabric at the lower part thereof and adapted to embrace the bottom part. of the heel and come beneath the arch of the shoe, said fabric being cut backward so its upper edge fits along and under the narrow part of the shoe above the sole, and darts secured as outturned seams extending from the edge toward the back of said guard as shapers and stifieners therefor.

3. A guard for shoe heels comprising two pieces of fabric material secured together along their back meeting edges with an outturned seam, and.

provided with darts along their inner edges formed with outturned seams, adapted to envelopethe heel part of a shoe, and a spring steel U-piece secured at the .bottom of said material and formed with its ends turned outwardly in the plane of the U-piece and so that the U-piece will closely encircle the bottom part of the heel and its ends come into the space between the heel and below the arch of the shoe.

4. In a protector of the character described, a guard of flexible material shaped smoothly to envelope the heel portion and adjacent instep portions of a shoe, said guard including symmetrical side pieces having reversely, curved rear edges joined together and conforming with the center line of the shoe. at the back thereof, said pieces having forwardly extending straight lower edges and obliquely extending reversely curved upper edges, each of the latter curving concavely downward and forward from the top of the guard at the back thereof to overreach the bulge at the heel portion of the shoe and convexly upward and rearward from the lower edge of the guard at the front thereof to overreach the concavity along the instep of the shoe, a substantially U- shaped spring clip comprising a bight and leg portions extending therefrom, said clip being attached to the guard along the lower marginal portion thereof and adapted alone to hold said guard snugly fitted to the shoe, the bight of the clip serving yieldingly to embrace the lower portion ofthe heel and support the leg extensions forwardly thereof beneath the arch of the shoe, said leg extensions acting yieldingly to draw said concave and said convex portions of the said upper edges of said-guard snugly against their respective portions of the shoe.

5. Ina protector of the character described, a guard of flexible material shaped smoothly to envelope the heel'portion and adjacent instep por=' tions of a shoe, said guard having lower edges disposed substantially in the plane of the sole of the shoe and having inclined edges extendingupwardly and rearwardly from the lower edges of the guard at the front thereof, a substantially U-;

shaped spring clip for holding the guardsnugly fitted to a shoe, said clip comprising a bight and leg portions extending therefrom, the clip being attached to the guard along its lower edges and being free from said inclined edges, the bight of the clip serving yieldingly to embrace the lower portion of the heel, the leg extensions being supported by the bight forwardly thereof beneath the arch ofthe shoe and being free from contact with the shoe, said leg extensions tending to spring together and serving to draw forward portions of the guard under the instep of the shoe and tension the inclined edges of said. guard of the guard at thefront thereof, a substantially U-shaped spring clip for holding the guard snugly fitted to a shoe, said clip comprising a bight and leg portions extending therefrom, the clip being attached to the guard along its lower marginal portion and being free therefrom throughout theremainder thereof, the bight of the clip serving yieldingly to embrace the lower portion of the heel, the leg extensions being supported by the bight forwardly thereof beneath the arch of.

the shoe and being free from contact with the shoe, said leg extensions tending to spring together and serving to draw portions of the guard together under the instep of the shoe and ten-v sion the sides of said guard along the sides of the shoe.

NELL F. WIN GET. 

